'Sherlock' Season 4 could return by Christmas 2014

"Sherlock" fans may not have a long wait before the return of Season 4 -- reports indicate that the series could return to the BBC by Christmas 2014.

According to a report in
The Sun, the BBC is hoping to fast-track a "Sherlock" return. "The BBC is desperate for a 'Sherlock' Christmas Day special this year. It wants its biggest guns ready," says a source quoted by the publication.

These rumors should, however, be taken with a grain of salt. Not only is this a single report from a single publication (with an anonymous source), but any Season 4 production will need to work around the busy movie schedules of stars
Benedict Cumberbatch and
Martin Freeman.

Still, "Sherlock" creators
Steven Moffat and
Mark Gatiss have stated publicly that they have storylines worked out for both Season 4 and a possible Season 5 of the popular series. And a single-year wait would be much better than the almost two years between Seasons 2 and 3 of "Sherlock."

In the U.S., "Sherlock" Season 3 will premiere Sunday (Jan. 19) at 10 p.m. on PBS.